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Ohio Cultural Alliance 30-year run coming to an end
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
It’s inevitable that many people are saddened when a longtime, revered organization calls it quits, but George D. Beelen is spending more time preparing to pass the torch than lamenting the past.
“In 30 years, this has been a learning experience for us all. The overriding things we’ve done have been to look at and study people different from us,” Beelen said, referring to the main thrust of the Ohio Cultural Alliance, which was established in 1987. “Our overriding theme is that genius has no boundaries.”
Beelen, who served as OCA’s president, spoke during Monday evening’s OCA Retrospective and Legacy meeting and dinner at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center on West Federal Street, downtown.
During a gathering last December, Beelen, a retired Youngstown State University history professor, said the organization’s 30-year run was coming to an end mainly because he was unable to find anyone to replace him as president.
Over the years, OCA members have examined and studied cultures, heritages, traditions, religions and ethnic aspects of between 50 and 60 countries, Beelen noted. In addition, the organization featured cultural-enrichment opportunities, along with ethnic entertainment and dishes at many of its 300 meetings, he explained.
As part of an effort to continue the organization’s legacy of cultural awareness, appreciation and sensitivity, Beelen presented YSU President Jim Tressel and Paul McFadden, president of the YSU Foundation, with a $15,000 endowment check that will go to a graduate student to complete an internship at the Tyler center, whose mission largely parallels that of the OCA. The foundation likely will receive an additional $5,000 after the OCA closes its books, Beelen continued.
“One of the blessings we have in this Valley is our history,” Tressel told the estimated 200 attendees. “We’ve seen the good work our graduate students do, and we’ll carry the torch.”
William Lawson, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s executive director, said the MVHS “celebrates the people of the Mahoning Valley,” something to which the OCA also was devoted. He called YSU interns “the lifeblood of our organization,” saying they’re an integral part of working with the historical society’s numerous collections.
One of those happy with the OCA’s work was Dr. Khalid Iqbal of Liberty, a pediatrician who came to the area about 40 years ago from his native Pakistan.
A primary value of the OCA has been its consistent efforts to provide members with opportunities to better understand Islam and other world religions while promoting kindness and respect toward them. All of those tear down barriers that can lead to and promote fear and intolerance, Iqbal explained.
In addition, opening oneself to discovering more about other cultures lays the groundwork to see that they have more similarities with one another than differences, especially when it comes to upholding virtues such as honesty and integrity, he continued.
“Goodness always wins out,” Iqbal added.
Also during the farewell dinner, guests watched a half-hour film that Beelen’s son, George D. Beelen Jr., produced that encapsulated many of the OCA’s accomplishments over its 30-year span. Shown were a variety of themes that included Old World traditions, which explored many countries’ cultures; cities and countries members have traveled to such as Tibet, Paris, Venice and Iceland; and the organization’s recent collaboration with the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches, which looked at many of the world’s faiths.
Another highlight of the meeting was the few dozen people who wore clothing that represented a variety of cultures and customs. They also spoke briefly on their choices.